--- a/src/ov-builtin.cc
+++ b/src/ov-builtin.cc
@@ -76,10 +76,20 @@
       panic_impossible ();
     }
 
-  return retval;
+  // XXX FIXME XXX -- perhaps there should be an
+  // octave_value_list::next_subsref member function?  See also
+  // octave_user_function::subsref.
+  //
+  // XXX FIXME XXX -- Note that if a function call returns multiple
+  // values, and there is further indexing to perform, then we are
+  // ignoring all but the first value.  Is this really what we want to
+  // do?  If it is not, then what should happen for stat("file").size,
+  // for exmaple?
 
-  // XXX FIXME XXX
-  //  return retval.next_subsref (type, idx);
+  if (idx.length () > 1)
+    retval = retval(0).next_subsref (type, idx);
+
+  return retval;
 }
 
 octave_value_list